Tuesday, June 22, 2010

When I woke up this morning to my text message, I knew it wasn't going to be promising. My mobile screen read:

"The Ducks and Scott Niedermayer will be holding a press conference this afternoon."

You usually don't hold a presser for announcing one more year. Then the word on the interweb and twitter was spreading like wildfire. People were saying that Scotty was going to announce his retirement. As a Ducks fan, I knew that this day would come. We've all been expecting it since after the 2007/2008 season. However, when I sat there watching the live stream of the presser and hearing Scotty say "I'm here to announce: I'm retiring from professional hockey.", I still found myself to be in shock. Scotty has played such a big part on and off the ice for Anaheim. He was our Cap'n. I gotta admit that the water-works turned on when he thanked his family and had to stop so he could hold back the tears but I can imagine that there's a bit of relief on his end. And I will say that there's some on our end as well because the same off-season, song and dance started to get a wee bit frustrating. Now we know that the team will move on.So now we all are left wondering about the status of the much needed defense on the Ducks bench because if we thought that our D was thin last year, it's even now worse with the Cap'n hanging up his skates. And this also doesn't mean we won't see the last of Scotty. He also announced that he will still be apart of the club as a consultant and the team will help him grow as a coach. I can definitely see him as a D coach for Anaheim later down the line. Also there's the question of:

"Who will be the one to wear the C next season?"

Some will answer: Getzlaf. I must be honest, he is not ready yet. As much as i would like to see Selanne wear it, i know that he doesn't want to. So in my humble opinion, I think it will be down between Koivu and Marchant. We will see.

With the draft coming in 3 days, it will be interesting to see if there are any other eventful news in Anaheim but with Scotty's announcement today, we all can exhale, just a little. Let's not forget that there is still the case with Bobby as well as with anything official from Selanne and Koivu. Let's hope that Scotty retiring is the only reason why we would feel empty inside. And speaking of which:

THANK YOU SCOTTY.You will always be Cap'n in my heart.

Go Ducks.

Scotty's legacy: One of the best in the history of the game.

[from ducks.nhl.com]

Career AccomplishmentsFour-time Stanley Cup ChampionWon one Cup with Anaheim (2007) and three with New Jersey (1995, 2000 & 2003)Team Canada – Two Olympic Gold Medals (2002 & 2010)Served as Team Captain at 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver2004 World Championship, 2004 World Cup Title, 1991 World Junior Championship2004 James Norris Memorial Trophy WinnerWas named a finalist for the trophy three straight seasons (2004, 2006 & 2007)Six-Time NHL All-StarAppeared in five All-Star Games (1998, 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009)Was named to the 2007 All-Star Game but did not play due to injuryThree-Time First Team All-Star (2004, 2006 & 2007)

2007 Conn Smythe Trophy WinnerWas named the NHL’s Most Valuable Player during Anaheim’s Stanley Cup Run

13 Career Overtime Goals, the Most by a Defenseman in NHL HistoryAll-Time Leading Defensive Scorer for the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey DevilsThe Only Player in Hockey History to Have Won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Cup, Memorial Cup and World Junior TitleNo other player has won even five of those six titles

The Only Player in Hockey History to have won Four Stanley Cups and Two Olympic Gold Medals